7 Character Qualities of a Person Who Is Close to God

Article by Courtney Joseph

But being close to God is about more than just our morning devotions.

We can read and read and read but if we do not apply God’s Word – we will not feel close to God.

Disobedience is a barrier to closeness.

In Psalm 15, David asks – who can be close to the Lord?

O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent?
    Who shall dwell on your holy hill?
(Psalm 15:1)

Then David answered his own question by listing the character qualities of those who have true fellowship with God.

Many call themselves a child of God but by the way they live their lives, they deny him.

These are the 7 Character Qualities of a Person Who Is Close to God:
(Based on Psalm 15)

1.) He walks blamelessly and does what is right. (v.2)

A person who is close to God tries to live a blameless life.  A blameless person is a person who is innocent of wrong doing and who seeks to do what is right in the eyes of everyone, including God.

2.) He speaks truth in his heart. (v.2)

A person who is close to God is sincere and true.  They can be trusted.  They are not a liar and if their heart was under a microscope, you would see that they are an honest person with integrity.

3.) He does not slander with his tongue. (v.3)

A person who is close to God does not tell stories about others that would make them look bad, even if they are true.  They know how to control their tongue.

4.) He does no evil to his neighbor or takes up a reproach against his friend.(v.3)

A person who is close to God is kind to all who are near and does not listen to bad talk about their friends.

5.) In his eyes a vile person is despised and instead he honors those who fear the Lord. (v.4)

A person who is close to God honors those with good character.  They avoid those who talk behind other people’s backs.  Instead, they seek out friendships with those who fear the Lord.

6.)  He swears to his own hurt and does not change. (v. 4)

A person who is close to God keeps their promises, even when it hurts them or would cause them to suffer a loss.  Their word is their bond and they do not change.

7.)  He does not put out his money at interest or take a bribe against the innocent. (v. 5)

A person close to God does not put their personal interest before others and does not allow money to sway the way they treat someone. They act justly no matter what.

Being Close to God is about more than our morning devotions.

It is also about obeying his Word and allowing God to transform us from the inside out.

How does life turn out for this type of person?  David writes:

“He who does these things shall never be moved.” (v.5)

They will never ever be moved!

This type of person is safe and secure through the storms of life.

They enjoy fellowship with God and are strong and stable.

They are forever safe and secure.

They are like the wise man who built his house on the rock.  When the rain and floods came, the house did not fall.

Matthew 7:24-25:

24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

Are you close to God?

How would others answer this question about you?

As we see from Psalm 15, the depth of our relationship with God should be reflected by our kindness to others, the control of our tongue and our integrity.

Timothy Keller writes:

If we deceive, vilify, and flatter, if we make empty promises and overblown claims, we cannot expect God’s presence in our lives.  This standard not only challenges us but also reminds us we can go to God only through His grace.  No one but Jesus ever lived with perfect integrity but because He is our Savior, we can go in to God. (Hebrews 4:15,16)

Being close to the Lord is about so much more than our morning devotions.  These are qualities that God will create in us when we are close to Him.  We must apply what we learn in His Word and let God mold and shape our character.

The reward for our obedience and God’s grace – is great!  We get to be close to God Almighty – the Maker of the heavens and the earth!

Keep Walking with the King,

Article posted at:  https://womenlivingwell.org/2018/06/7-character-qualities-of-a-person-who-is-close-to-god/

Enjoy the Freedom of Your Redemption

Article by Jenn Hesse

You’ll never defeat this.

My mind recites this line like a broken record when ugly, deceptive sin threatens to trap me in its patterns. Because God has rescued me from my former way of living, I know I need to stop engaging in behavior that defies his will, and live in the way that pleases him.

But persistent sins like worry and pride are so entrenched in my heart that they seem impossible to overcome. I feel as though the weight of shame and guilt will always hound me since my sins are too heavy to shake off by my own efforts.

As I carry these burdens, unable to unload them, I forget the deeper truth revealed in human weakness: What I can’t accomplish, Christ already did.

He Secured Your Redemption

The author of Hebrews emphasized confidence in his letter to early Christians converted from Judaism. Through logical arguments explaining how Jesus surpassed the Old Testament models of deliverance, he encouraged these young believers to resist temptation and endure trials by holding fast to hope.

This hope is grounded in the truth of how Christ fulfilled and annulled the law of atonement under the Old Covenant, which provided a way to cover but not remove sin. In his death and resurrection, Jesus accomplished what the sacrificial system couldn’t: “He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption” (Hebrew 9:12).

Jesus eliminated the need to try to cover sin by paying the penalty for it on the cross. When he breathed his last words—“It is finished”—he completed the work of making us right before God (John 19:30).

Knowing our salvation is secure, we can rest from striving to rescue ourselves. Instead of working hard to live perfectly in order to earn our salvation, we are free in Christ’s salvation to enjoy him and live like him, set apart by God to walk in the good works he prepared for us.

Through our great High Priest, we can draw near to our Creator without guilt or fear of punishment. He ripped the temple veil that separated sinners from a holy God and exchanged our shame for boldness before the throne. “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

That’s the hope we cling to when facing our sins.

He Transforms Your Desires

Jesus set us free from bondage to sin and seals us for heaven. Yet while we’re here on earth, we still wrestle with trials and temptations. Paul talks about this struggle using combative terminology: “For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members” (Romans 7:22-23).

Rather than remaining discouraged by and stuck in sin, we can have confidence in the ongoing work of our Savior in conforming us to his likeness. As Christ united us with himself, we now share the same Spirit dwelling within us, who is transforming us by changing our desires and renewing our minds (Romans 12:2).

What I can’t accomplish, Christ already did.

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With the Spirit helping us in our weakness, we consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God (Romans 6:10). By following the Spirit’s lead instead of our earthly desires, we can eagerly wait for complete restoration and bear his fruit as we do (Galatians 5:22-23).

If we allow the Word to convict us and humbly seek a clean heart, we can, like the young Hebrew believers, endure temptations because we know God is with us and for us. Even though we stumble along the way, he promises to keep us persevering in faith until we see him face to face in heaven.

He Frees You to Live

I don’t have to conquer sin by trying to control my stubborn heart. As I trust in God’s faithfulness to complete the work he began in me, I can discern the ways I’m falling for sin’s deception and ask his help to desire his will more than my own.

It will take a while, this sanctification process. Wish as I might, I can’t manage its schedule or predict the number of times I’ll trip and fail.

But by faith in Christ’s power made perfect in my weakness, I can turn away from sin, pursue holiness, and confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6)—or, in a personal application, “What can I do to ruin myself?”

The sins I still battle don’t separate me from God. Jesus erased them, washed me clean, and invites me into fellowship with the Father. By his Spirit, I can choose to turn away from sin toward a closer walk with God, enjoying the freedom of redemption.

On Christ, the solid rock, I stand.

Jenn Hesse is a writer, editor, wife, and mother of two sons. She co-founded a ministry that supports women walking through infertility, infant loss, and adoption, and has a passion for equipping others to know Christ through His Word. Read more of her reflections at jennhesse.com.

Article posted at:  https://unlockingthebible.org/2018/07/enjoy-freedom-redemption/

In Christian Theology, Beauty Demands to Be Noticed

Article by Matt Capps

Last year I wrote a piece titled “5 Reasons Christians Neglect Beauty in Theology.” I would like to propose an initial step forward regarding the distinctly Christian study of beauty.

Most of the reflection and writing on the subject of beauty remains cornered by trained specialists in theology and philosophy, in the specialized field of aesthetics. Even among those philosophers, it is often suggested that beauty is a category we ought to discard altogether.

Yet beauty demands to be noticed.

As followers of Christ, we are called to offer a distinctly Christian vision of what’s beautiful. Though an often neglected subject, both the world and also the Word hold forth beauty as a gift from God for our delight.

God Revealed Through Beauty

For Christians, the study of beauty must begin with the doctrine of revelation. After all, Christianity holds that revelation depends on God, who delineates and determines what can be known. As Carl F. H. Henry notes, “God determines not only the if and why of divine disclosure, but also the when, where, what, how, and who.”

The doctrine of revelation assumes the existence of a God who actively reveals himself—including his beauty. That God created the heavens and the earth, and established humanity over it, provides two implications for the study of beauty.

First, God is the source of beauty. Second, humanity’s preoccupation with beauty and aesthetic experience is God-ordained. God offers humanity privileged communion and experience over all other created beings. One will not find a Golden Retriever reflecting on the majesty of a coastal sunset or intentionally enjoying the masterful compositions of Mozart. The capacity to enjoy and experience beauty is a privilege God has offered human beings alone.

One will not find a Golden Retriever reflecting on the majesty of a coastal sunset or intentionally enjoying the masterful compositions of Mozart. The capacity to enjoy and experience beauty is a privilege God has offered human beings alone.

Beauty and General Revelation

Historically, Christians have held that God reveals aesthetic truth and beauty through general revelation, including nature, culture, human reason, and good deeds. Most Christian theologians would hold that knowledge of God through general revelation is possible yet limited in scope, coherence, and depth. The effects of sin always subvert general revelation.

While general revelation is not the ultimate authority, it does have its proper place within theology.

The creation account of Genesis affirms God’s pleasure in his creation by declaring seven times that “it is very good,” denoting that what has been created is delightful and pleasant. In the context of original creation, this declaration hints at the aesthetic nature of God’s evaluative judgment on the things he has made. Likewise, biblical writers often describe elements of creation—lands, trees, stones, and so on—as beautiful and pleasant.

What does the beauty of the natural world actually communicate to humanity?

Beauty and Special Revelation

The intent of general revelation and the reality of sinful suppression exposes the need for special revelation: God’s revealed Word. The Bible is necessary to define and explain general revelation in light of its limitations and its distortion by fallen humanity.

The Bible is necessary to define and explain general revelation in light of its limitations and distortion by fallen humanity.

Providing clarity to the manner in which God has made himself known, the psalmist writes in Psalm 19:1–4:

The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.

In a similar way, Paul’s speech to the Gentiles at Lystra (Acts 14:15–17) and in Athens (Acts 17:22–32) indicate that God has made himself known through creation’s order. Moreover, Paul writes elsewhere:

Since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made. (Rom. 1:19–20)

The world and everything in it is God’s work of art. Just as a poem contains the manifest design and intention of the author, God has made himself evident through the powerful poem of the universe. From the sky of Psalm 19, to the lilies of the field in Matthew 6, God’s glory is reflected in the manifold beauty of his creation.

Just as a poem contains the manifest design and intention of the author, God has made himself evident to all mankind with the powerful poem of the universe.

Beauty and the Bible

The book that reveals the beautiful God to humanity is itself a significant literary work of great beauty. Scripture affirms the importance of aesthetics not only through its semantic formulations, but also in its literary form.

Beautiful literary conventions are present in the Bible from start to finish, even in its woodenly factual historiography. Literary structures, such as parallelism, meticulously crafted expression in narrative, and artistically sophisticated poetry all attest to the significant role of beauty in God’s revelation. As Leland Ryken notes, if beauty and aesthetics were of no consequence in the biblical text, “there would have seen no good reason for biblical poets to put their utterances into intricately patterned verse form, for biblical storytellers to compose masterfully compact and careful designed stories.”

Beauty Calls Forth

In a world without beauty, Balthasar declares, “What remains is . . . a mere lump of existence.” God did not have to create so many things in our world to be beautiful, but he did.

If beauty demands to be noticed, let us take note. If there’s something intrinsic in humanity that’s drawn to beauty, let it draw us in. Both the world and the Word call us to behold the sovereign Creator God.

As we see in the Word, all the beauty of this world points beyond itself to the breathtaking beauty of God himself. Beauty is a powerful signpost that calls out to all: “Look and see. The one true God is good.”

Matt Capps serves as the senior pastor at Fairview Baptist Church in Apex, North Carolina. He holds an MDiv with biblical languages from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a DMin in pastoral theology from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Matt has authored and contributed to several books. You can follow Matt on Twitter at @mattcapps.

Article posted at: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/christian-theology-beauty-demands-noticed/

Do You Want to Read Your Bible More Consistently?

Article by Kristen Wetherell

For many Christians, reading the Bible consistently is a challenge.

In 2017, the American Bible Society reported that only 20% of Americans read their Bibles at least four times each week. This means that 80% of Americans read Scripture less frequently than that, if at all.

But God says his words are like food—“Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:3). And no human can survive without food. If we’re not eating, we starve.

And if we aren’t feeding on God’s Word consistently, so will our souls.

Read Your Bible, Feed Your Soul

When our newborn baby entered the world, everything changed—especially our sleep patterns. There were mornings when my husband and I struggled to peel ourselves out of bed to meet with the Lord in his Word. But the struggle was worth it. Most mornings, we fought the temptation to keep sleeping (only by God’s grace) and were extremely grateful we did, as it meant starting our day in communion with him through Scripture and prayer.

It meant feeding our souls.

Hearing God speak through our Bibles was a game-changer for us:

• He hid his Word in our hearts and would bring it to mind by his Spirit.
• He renewed our minds, setting them on eternal matters, and gave us eyes to see through this perspective moment-by-moment.
• He gave us his armor to help us fight sin and temptation.
• He reminded us that Christ is our highest joy and our most valued treasure.

I’ve heard it said, you don’t remember every meal you’ve eaten, but the meals you’ve eaten have sustained you. We may not recall every Scripture we’ve read, but God sustains our trust in him as we choose to consistently feed on his Word.

14 Ideas to Make Your Reading More Consistent

There’s no one way to open Scripture—everybody’s devotional time will look different—but there is a right way to pursue it: consistently.

As you seek God in his Word, ask him to give you an ever-deepening desire for this pursuit. Ask him to help you put away the distractions of tiredness, tasks, and trivialities. Ask him for eyes to see the glory of Christ in Scripture, and for ears to hear the good news of the gospel in everything you read.

God sustains our trust in him as we choose to consistently feed on his Word.

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Then, commit to reading every day—even if only for five minutes at first—and pursue specific ways to make this reading a habit. Here are several ideas for you, in no particular order:

1. Put your phone away!

Our phones are wonderful tools, but can be incredibly distracting. Leave your phone in another room while you read so you aren’t tempted to check messages or scroll social media.

2. Get a new Bible.

A brand new Bible can be a great motivator to build a reading habit. With clean pages, you have a fresh template on which to mark up passages, take notes, and apply what you read.

3. Use helpful tools.

On a similar note, helpful tools can also motivate regular reading. Bleedless pens (like Micron), colored pencils, commentaries, Scripture journals, and Bible software (like Logos) promote active reading.

4. Schedule it.

Scheduling your Bible reading can seem cold and heartless. But don’t we schedule what’s important to us, like family outings, dates with our spouses, and our kids’ school events? Our delight in people motivates this—how much more our delight in God? Schedule your Bible reading time as a divine appointment you don’t want to miss.

5. Read in the same place every day.

A habit sticks the stickier we make it, so choose one location for your Bible reading. For me, this is the couch in our living room. Perhaps for you it’s on the train as you commute to work, during nap time, or at your kitchen table. You’ll be less likely to skip your time of communion with the Lord if it’s in the same place every day.

6. Remove distractions.

Besides your phone, what distracts you from reading Scripture? Is it the laundry pile? The dirty dish tower? Your full inbox and schedule? The research paper due next week? Whatever the task, it will be there after your Bible reading is done, and you’ll be more likely to engage with these tasks in a Godward manner as a result of temporarily setting them aside.   

7. Start small.

It can be easy, especially for Type-A personalities, to  immediately go full-throttle. But it’s important not to overreach, or you risk falling behind and feeling defeated (unless it’s most helpful for you to go full-throttle!). Start with what you know you can handle: Read five minutes a day the first week; 10 minutes a day the second week; and 15 minutes a day the third week. Increase your reading time each week until you get into a routine that works for you.  

8. Join/complete a Bible study.

I’ve found that going through a guided Bible study helps me stay consistent in God’s Word. You might join a group through your church, or choose a study to do by yourself.

9. Sign up for daily devotional emails.

Be intentional about reading throughout the day by signing up for a devotional or two online. You’re more likely to sow God’s Word into your heart if you read these as they arrive in your inbox, rather than intending to read them later. Some of my favorites are LifeKEYS, Solid Joys, and Morning and Evening.

10. Ask for accountability.

Who might you ask to check in with you every so often about how your Bible reading is going? Recruit a trusted friend in the Lord to routinely ask you about your time in Scripture.

11. Use a Bible reading plan.

Similar to choosing the right tools, a reading plan can help you form a regular habit of opening your Bible. There’s no pressure to complete the plan in a year, as most of them encourage (mine has taken me three years to finish!). But a plan will give you guidance through Scripture and prevent the discouragement that can come from feeling lost in possibilities.

12. Involve your family.

While time alone with the Lord is important, family Bible reading is another eternally significant habit to form. Read a verse or passage of Scripture during dinnertime; read to your kids before bed; or invite them to sit with you as your read in the morning.

13. Sit under sound, biblical preaching.

What does this have to do with reading your Bible consistently? Everything. You will learn from your pastor how to study your Bible as you listen to him unfold God’s Word each weekend. Take note of how he comprehends, interprets, and applies the text, and ask God to help you do this each day when you read.

14. Remember God’s grace.

Whether you spent five minutes or five hours in God’s Word yesterday, or you didn’t make it into Scripture at all, God’s grace in Jesus Christ has the final say on your acceptance in his sight.

His grace covers you when you forget, fail, and choose other pursuits—but he doesn’t intend to leave you there. The promise of his grace is to change your heart and therefore your desires, through the blood-bought, finished work of his Son. And the outcome of this grace is consistent communion with God in his Word, for the praise and glory of Jesus Christ and your highest joy.

Article posted at:  https://unlockingthebible.org/2018/06/read-bible-consistently/

6 Reasons to Delight in the Word of God

Article by Paul Tautges

My goal in writing is simple. I wan to increase people's love for God by increasing their delight in His Word, The Holy Bible. That's why I wrote my first book, Delight in the Word, and have just released a 10th Anniversary eBook edition.

One of the burdens on my heart, and a goal for my ministry, is to convince believers that you cannot separate love for God from love for the Bible. No one can truly love God if they do not also love His Word. Jesus said, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me” (John 14:21). By demonstrating how sufficient the Scripture is in addressing the needs of the human heart, I trust that the Holy Spirit will accelerate His counseling ministry in your life and thereby lead you into a deeper, more loving obedience to God (John 16:13). There are at least six reasons why it is spiritually profitable for us to mimic the psalmist’s resolution, “I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word” (Psalm 119:16).

Delighting in the Word leads to spiritual stability and fruitfulness. Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper (Psalm 1:1–3). Abundant fruitfulness and oak-like stability in the Christian life are experienced in direct proportion to the extent to which we delight in God’s Word. It was not merely what this man avoided (foolish and worldly counsel) that made him blessed, but what he embraced—biblical truth. Therefore, he who delights in the counsel of God will be blessed in all he does.

Delighting in the Word feeds a desire to do God’s will. I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart (Psalm 40:8). Delighting in the will of God is tied to a commitment to the Word of God cherished in the heart. Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). When Jesus first taught this truth He was referring to the everyday choice of where we invest our wealth—in a temporal earth or an everlasting heaven. However, the principle also applies to other contexts. In other words, it is always true that our hearts follow our treasure. Therefore, the more we treasure God’s precepts by delighting in them “more than gold” (Psalm 19:10), the greater will be our desire to obey the will of God as revealed in that Word. 

Delighting in the Word is a cure for depression. Your testimonies also are my delight and my counselors. My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to Your word(Psalm 119:24, 25). When depression strikes (or creeps in unnoticed), we need help from God. In the middle of a thick fog of depression we desperately need the piercing light of divine truth to break through with clear objectivity. So we pray: “Let Your tender mercies come to me, that I may live; for Your law is my delight” (Psalm 119:77).

Delighting in the Word fortifies obedience to God, even when others care not. Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes, and I shall keep it to the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart. Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it (Psalm 119:33–35). Those who truly delight in the Bible will, in turn, possess an intense desire to live in obedience to its precepts. Theirs will be a determined obedience, a steadfast adherence to truth, even in the face of opposition. The proud have forged a lie against me, but I will keep Your precepts with my whole heart. Their heart is as fat as grease, but I delight in Your law (Psalm 119:69, 70).

Delighting in the Word nurtures a love for Scripture meditation. The delight of the blessed man “is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:2). Charles Spurgeon described this man as one who “takes a text and carries it with him all day long; and in the night watches, when sleep forsakes his eyelids, he museth upon the Word of God.” The more we grow in our love for God’s Word, the more it will dominate our thinking about every area of our life. Then, and only then, will our minds be truly renewed, according to the promise of God (Romans 12:2). And I will delight myself in Your commandments, which I love. My hands also I will lift up to Your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on Your statutes (Psalm 119:47, 48).

Delighting in the Word sustains us in times of trial. Trouble and anguish have overtaken me, yet Your commandments are my delights (Psalm 119:143). When the trials of life seem to drain every ounce of spiritual, physical, and emotional energy from us, God’s Word will be our strength. It will minister to the deepest agony of our hearts and help us gain and keep an eternal perspective. Renewing our mind with such truths as, “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18), will compel us to agree with the Psalmist: “Unless Your law had been my delight, I would then have perished in my affliction” (Psalm 119:92).

This is just a brief sampling of what the Word of God will do for us as we make it our delight and treasure.

Article originally posted at:  https://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/paul-tautges/6-reasons-to-delight-in-the-word-of-god.html